Category Archives: CECH Library

Renovation Alert: CECH Library 4th Floor

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We’re excited to share that the 4th floor of the CECH Library will undergo a renovation beginning Tuesday, May 27. The space will be closed for the summer and is set to reopen at the start of the fall semester.

This transformation is designed to better support our students and academic community by creating a more dynamic, flexible, and welcoming environment.

Architectural rendering of planned improvements to the CECH Library reading room.

What’s coming:

  • Reconfigured layout for enhanced study, collaboration, and events
  • Modern study tables with integrated power and lighting
  • Comfortable seating, refreshed study room, new carpet, and paint
  • A thoughtful blend of modern design and the existing classic architectural elements

The main level (3rd floor) will remain open, and materials will still be accessible by request.

This project reflects our ongoing commitment to student success and innovation in academic spaces. Stay tuned for updates — and have a fantastic summer.

Katie Foran-Mulcahy (she/her)
Head, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library

ERIC Updates, May 2025

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In March 2025, journal publishers received the following notice from ERIC. This information was also detailed in a prior LiBlog post in April:

The Department of Education is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reduce overall Federal spending” and “reallocate spending to promote efficiency” (EO 14222). As a result, the number of records added to the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 24, 2025. Subject matter was not considered during the process to identify which sources would be made inactive.  Please note that all records currently in ERIC will remain available.

On April 28, 2025, the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) announced a contract renewal with the AEM Corporation and the continuation of ERIC. The announcement also stated that “no content has been removed or deleted from ERIC” but characterized the future as a “new phase” with a “refined scope”. 

With a 50% cut to its annual budget, the future of ERIC remains uncertain. For up-to-date information on ERIC, see the ERIC Updates page of our Education Complete LibGuide.

Further Reading

Barshay, J. (2025, April 28). Education Department restarts online library ERIC. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-restart-eric-ed-library/  

Fitzgerald, S. R., Weaver, K. D., & Droog, A. (2025). Selecting a specialized education database for literature reviews and evidence synthesis projects. Research Synthesis Methods, 16(1), 30–41. doi:10.1017/rsm.2024.11 

CECH voted!

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This semester the CECH Library wanted to know your thoughts. You helped us name fidget slugs, determine the best book-to-screen adaptation, and even answered burning questions like ‘is water wet?’ Check out all the ways CECH Voted this Spring Semester:

March Madness

Popular books battled it out throughout the month of March to determine: what is the best book-to-screen adaptation? With surprising early round eliminations of fan favorites like Holes and Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games claimed the prize, narrowly beating out Harry Potter. Disagree? Check back next March for the next round of CECH Library March Madness!

Large yellow poster showing a voting bracket with books and their movie adaptation.
Continue reading →

Changes to ERIC: 2025

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In March 2025, journal publishers received a notice from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) which stated: 

The Department of Education is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reduce overall Federal spending” and “reallocate spending to promote efficiency” (EO 14222). As a result, the number of records added to the ERIC collection will be significantly reduced going forward. The number of actively cataloged sources will be reduced by approximately 45% starting April 24, 2025. Subject matter was not considered during the process to identify which sources would be made inactive.  Please note that all records currently in ERIC will remain available.

ERIC is a core resource for education, social sciences, and engineering research, and UC Libraries is working hard to learn more about these announced changes. While this is currently an evolving situation, we do know the following: 

  • On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that includes closing the Department of Education. ERIC is funded by the Department of Education under Institution of Education Sciences (IES).
  • Journal availability in ERIC will be reduced from approximately 1,200 to 700 by April 25, 2025.
  • Journals cut from ERIC will not have content added to ERIC going forward. Records currently in ERIC will remain searchable but there will no longer be full-text access.
    • For example, if a journal is removed from ERIC, articles in ERIC prior to April 2025 will appear in your search results but there will no longer be full-text access, nor will new article records from that journal be added.
  • Other resources such as National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) will also be affected by changes to the Department of Education.

Some things are still unclear, such as: 

  • Which journals will be removed from ERIC
  • If additional journal cuts will occur in the future
  • If other source types will be removed from ERIC in the future

As soon as we have more information, we will provide updates via the Education Complete LibGuide’s ERIC Updates page. In the meantime, UC Libraries provides access to several education databases and we would be happy to work with you on your education research. As always, reach out to a librarian for support with your literature searching.

RefWorks is leaving…have you met Zotero? 

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UC Libraries’ subscription to RefWorks is ending in May 2025 due to low usage and increasing costs. While UC Libraries’ subscription to RefWorks is ending, we support other citation managers such as Zotero and EndNote. 

If you want to learn more about Zotero, register for the “Getting to Know Zotero” workshop hosted in CECH Library on April 15 at 12:30pm (you can bring your lunch!).  

Zotero is a free, open source citation management software with both a desktop application and web platform. It has awesome features such as Microsoft Word integration, built-in PDF reader, and group libraries. Come to the workshop to see a demo, set up your Zotero, and test out its capabilities! 

Madeleine Gaiser, online learning and instruction librarian
CECH Library

Tech & MakerLab Playground at CECH Library

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Join us Wednesday, April 2 from 3-5pm in the CECH Library for our 2nd annual Tech & MakerLab Playground.

This open-house style event will offer a variety of hands-on exploration opportunities with our MakerLab and STEAM Kits. Check out projects from Trends in Learning Technology Innovation students, play with robots, and see demos of our newest MakerLab equipment. We’ll also offer visitors a special sneak-peak of our new Study and Focus Tools Collection.

Light refreshments available courtesy of the CECH Dean’s Office.

We hope to see you at this fun event — celebrating the intersections of learning, tech, and creativity.

See you in the library!

On behalf of Team CECH Library,
k

Katie Foran-Mulcahy
Head, CECH Library

Check out library Spring Break reduced hours, March 15-23

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Most University of Cincinnati Libraries locations have reduced hours for Spring Break, March 15-23. Check the library website for a list of hours by location.

Have a safe and rejuvenating Spring Break, Bearcats!

spring break vine with lemons

    Empower yourself in CECH Library

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    The College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and IT (CECH) celebrates Stress Less Week this semester Monday, March 10th– Friday, March 14th. This semester the focus is on YOU! Explore resources that allow you to empower yourself all week long at the CECH Library.  

    CECH Library Programming for Stress Less Week:  

    • 3/10-14 - Stress Less & Empower Yourself with the CECH Library. Visit the CECH Library and explore the Stress Less display to find resources and materials to help you feel empowered. 
    • 3/10-14- Sticker-by-Number with the CECH Library. Visit the CECH Library during Stress Less Week to contribute to our community sticker-by-number art project. Don’t forget to stop by to see the finished product any time throughout the month of March. 
    • 3/12 10am-12pm- Study Tools Collection first look – Visit the CECH Library and learn from a CECH librarian about a NEW study tools collection coming soon to the CECH Library. 
    • 3/13 12pm-4pm- Study Tool Petting Zoo – Visit the CECH Library MakerLab to try out NEW study tools the library will be adding to our collection in AY26.  

    Visit CECH Student Services Center on Get Involved UC for a full list of events.  

    Rachel Hoople, CECH Library operations manager and student supervisor

    Fidgets, sound muffs, and more coming soon to CECH Library

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    Sometimes the hardest part about studying is staying focused. Whether you’re antsy or someone’s phone call is more interesting than tomorrow’s exam, focusing on school work can be a challenge.

    CECH Library is building a new Study and Focus Tools Collection (SFTC) to debut in Fall 2025. Checkout two great opportunities to get a sneak-peak of the collection and play with some awesome fidgets!

    Wednesday, March 12 (10am-12pm):
    Get a first look at the collection. We’ll be tabling in the Teachers-Dyer Complex lobby (3rd floor).

    Thursday, March 13 (1-4pm):
    Come to the CECH Library and visit our Fidget Petting Zoo. A table will be set up near the MakerLab.

    Wednesday, April 2
    (3-5pm):
    See our fidgets and study tools during the Tech & MakerLab Playground in CECH Library.

    Gravity timer and fidget slug
    Blue light glasses and worry stones

    After doing research and surveying library users, CECH Library selected 20 items to support students’ focus and study habits – white noise machines, sound muffs, fidgets, and more! These items will be available for anyone in the UC community to use and checkout beginning Fall 2025. 

    The Shashibo cube can shape-shift

    –Madeleine Gaiser, CECH Library

    Workshop Series: Teachers Are Makers

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    CECH Library is proud to offer a variety of workshops in the MakerLab this semester in support of our pre-service teachers — as well as anyone in our UC community interested in making.

    As we did in fall, the library is offering workshops on using the Cricut Maker 3 and Autopress. The Cricut Maker is ideal for cutting paper, vinyl, and more to create custom projects, while the Autopress makes heat transfer projects (i.e. t-shirts and tote bags) quick and easy. Our Intro to Cricut workshop will have two offerings in the spring term, Thursday, February 20 from 3-4:30pm and Thursday, March 27th from 1-2:30pm.

    New this spring are MakerLab workshops on 3D printing and sticker making. This equipment for 3D printing and sticker printing/cutting is currently available on a pilot-only basis, but workshop attendees will have special access to these tools during the workshops. Our Tinkercad and 3D Printing workshop will be offered on Wednesday, April 9 from 3-4:30pm and our Sticker Making 101 workshop will be offered on Thursday, April 17 from 1-2:30pm.

    Space is limited, so register ASAP to reserve your spot.

    See you in the MakerLab!